16th Note Strumming

[davidbeinct]

Originally Posted by DesertTwang

I don't think you should be strumming down on an "and." When strumming 8th notes, you strum down on the beat and up on the "and." "one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and" = down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up.

When strumming 16th notes, you are strumming four notes/beats for each tapping of the foot. In other words, as your foot taps down, you strum two notes, as it comes up you strum another two, so by the time your foot taps down again, you have made four strums total, down-up-down-up.

If you treat 16th notes like 8th notes and try to tap your foot every two notes that you strum, your foot will tap crazy fast and yes, it'll mess you up. When I practice 8th notes, I count them out loud as "one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and" for one bar of 8 8th notes.

With 16th notes, I count them as "one-e-and-a", with one strum on each of those syllables. The foot only goes down on the first "one" beat. So a whole measure of four beats would consist of 16 16th notes, counted as "one-e-and-a, two-e-and-a, three-e-and-a, four-e-and-a."

I hope this makes sense. Try that. Good luck!

EDIT: Just saw Sonics' post. He explained it much more eloquently than I. :-)

If you’re counting one-e-and-a... and alternating down with up strums, your strums will be down on one (along with two, three, four) and and, and up on e and a. Everything else you say makes sense.

[DesertTwang]

Originally Posted by davidbeinct

If you’re counting one-e-and-a... and alternating down with up strums, your strums will be down on one (along with two, three, four) and and, and up on e and a. Everything else you say makes sense.

Yes, exactly! Sorry if that came out the wrong way.